Green Destinations Certification Programs for Destinations

GD Awards indicate (independent auditor-evaluated) compliance levels with the Green Destinations Standard, recognised by the GSTC. Audits are required every 2 years and result in Bronze, Silver, Gold or Platinum designation. QualityCoast Awards are especially designed for destinations focusing on waterfront sustainability, seaside, and beach quality. We celebrate our certified destinations at our annual Global Green Destinations Conference and our yearly ITB Berlin event. 

“Green Destinations Certified” is our option to obtain GSTC Certification: global recognition for excellence in sustainable destination management.

The certification is Accredited by by the Global Sustainable Tourism Council (GSTC) for adhering to the highest standards of transparent, objective and evidence-based certification.  The audit is more rigorous involving broad stakeholder consultation to verify compliance, and all criteria compliance should be fully supported by documented evidence.

Destinations enrolled in the Awards and Certification Program participate in a sustainability management cycle aimed at continuous improvement through regular assessments and independent verifications.

Our certification programs are structured by the sustainability management guidelines of our Green Destinations Standard, which is recognised by the Global Sustainable Tourism Council (GSTC) to cover globally agreed sustainability requirements. Progress is monitored through indicators, which makes the program concrete and measurable. You can easily implement our guidelines and indicators in your management system.

Destinations signing up for the GD Certification Awards and GSTC Certification program engage in a sustainability management cycle aimed at continuous improvement with periodic assessment and independent verification.

The main steps include:

1. Registration 

Register your interest for Award or Certification by filling in this online registration form. Based on the submitted details such as destination size and location, we will send you an offer for certification.

2. Engagement and reporting

Induction training to destination sustainability and how to apply the GD Standard, and report your compliance to the GD Standard on our online assessment platform. Coaching by GD secretariat or local representative.

3. Evaluation

Technical check and independent audit of reported sustainability compliance.

4. Certification

A Certification Committee evaluates auditor conclusions and (upon sufficient score), issues the Award or GSTC Certification, which remains valid for 2 or 3 years, respectively.

5. Action planning for continuous improvement

The online assessment platform provides an Action Planning tool and good practice examples for easy planning and implementing your sustainability improvements following the independent evaluation recommendations. 

The Green Destinations Standard is the backbone of our Award & Certification program. It is a GSTC-recognised set of criteria to measure, monitor and improve the sustainability policy and management of destinations and regions. It makes sustainable development concrete, objective and demonstrable. In 2020, the 1st GD Standard (developed in 2016) was updated based on consultation with the GD Partnership and re-aligned with the GSTC Destination Criteria V2 – prolonging its ‘GSTC Recognised Status’ in 2021.